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Long-term consequences of snap policy decisions have again raised their ugly head as domestic manufacturing and defence importation concerns are raised about recently shovelled-through firearms legislation.
Late last year, the federal government and the NSW government swiftly jumped on the firearms political football in a bid to prop up public support among non-firearms users and divert attention from potentially failing national security policies.
The legislative push, charged out by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns late last year, followed a tragic terrorist attack conducted by two Islamic State-aligned extremists at Bondi Beach in Sydney.
Fifteen people, including a 10-year-old girl, two rabbis and a Holocaust survivor, were killed in the attack. Two police officers were shot and injured.
The two Islamic State-aligned gunmen were identified by NSW Police as father and son, Sajid Akram, 50 (deceased), and Naveed Akram, 24 (critically injured). Police confirmed that Sajid Akram had held a lawful firearms licence and six firearms, despite Naveed being previously investigated for terrorism links in 2019.
In response to the attack, the NSW government announced firearms changes, including imposing a limit of four firearms per person (just fewer than Western Australia’s limit of five), reduced magazine capacities to five and 10 rounds, reclassification of straight pull, pump-action, button, lever-release firearms into the highly restricted C class.
The government also appeared to outlaw a category of “belt-fed shotguns”, which does not exist and would be covered under current legislation.
National firearms legislation also followed a national cabinet meeting announcing a new National Gun Buyback Scheme and, crucially for industry, background checks involving the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and additional importation restrictions targeting firearms.
Senator Tyron Whitten, speaking during a recent Senate estimates meeting on 11 February, questioned whether there could be adverse outcomes on manufacturing and firearms importation due to the changes.
“Talking about sovereign capability in Australian manufacturing. Was Defence consulted on the impacts or effects to the supply chain resilience or small-arms manufacturing when Labor was drafting the recent gun legislation?” he said.
“We’ve heard from domestic manufacturers who are concerned that their suppliers of parts for their firearms that didn’t previously require a licence to manufacture may be caught under the broad definitions of what cannot be accessed digitally under the new laws.
“Has Defence considered the possible impacts to suppliers in their supply chains where they may no longer be able to manufacture firearms components?
“Given the domestic demand for firearms and ammunition has been severely depressed in the wake of the new gun laws, and that’s what I’m hearing directly from the people who are involved, are you concerned that there will be a loss of domestic supply and manufacturing expertise from Australia?”
“It’s my understanding that one of the last available forging hammers in the country … capable of forging large bomb casings for warheads and artillery guns. We’ve heard reports that this business is in trouble.
“All I can suggest is, if you’re not talking to them, please talk to them because … Given that they do have a capability that’s probably not common, if they did close, how would Australia secure the equipment so it doesn’t end up in the hands of adversaries?”
Chris Deeble, Deputy Secretary of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) within the Australian Department of Defence, speaking during the Senate estimates meeting, confirmed that there had been no specific engagement with Defence or CASG regarding the firearms legislation.
Canberra-based manufacturer, GC Precision Developments, which makes modular precision rifle systems for civilian, law enforcement and military applications, has already confirmed that it will no longer take civilian orders due to the changes.
“It is with a heavy heart that we advise GCPD Arms is no longer taking civilian orders. We have had to accept that it is no longer viable to support the civilian market at this point in time,” the company said in a public statement.
“This is due to a number of factors: recent decisions made by the Albanese Labor government; drop in revenue following WA’s capped firearms legislation; Australia’s current economic climate and increasing regulatory burden have all heavily impacted market stability.
“Thank you to all our customers for their support over the past 10 years, who’ve helped us grow GCPD Arms from a backyard operation to a world-class manufacturer of firearms.
“Loyal repeat customers, followers commenting positively on our posts, and those appreciating the craftsmanship behind our work.
“This has not been a decision we’ve made lightly. Stepping away from the civilian market is bittersweet, but it allows us to focus on our next chapter. We’re grateful for the trust, support and relationships built along the way, and we look forward to the new opportunities ahead.”
In a nod to the Liberal government years led by John Howard, the firearms crackdown political strategy has previously worked and drummed up support following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
However, even former prime minister Howard weighed in on the topic, citing the government’s willingness to score some political points from the Bondi tragedy.
“I do not want this debate post this horrible event to be used, the focus on guns be used as a pretext to avoid the broader debate about the spread of hatred of Jewish people and anti-Semitism,” he said.
The rapid rollout of the new legislation, which required a recall of the NSW Parliament to force it through the Christmas holiday period, was strategically aimed by the federal and NSW government as a witnessed effort of taking decisive action during a time of heightened public fear.
Indeed, the federal government’s proposed hate speech and firearms legislation, at the time, thoroughly succeeded in alienating both left-leaning activist groups who were vehemently against civil liberties concerns in the hate speech side of the bill (which were later removed), while traditionally conservative voters and firearms owners objected the broad brush reforms to punish lawful owners instead of targeted legislative action to prevent more religious-motivated terrorism attacks.
In response, the Northern Territory and Queensland confirmed it will not join NSW and the federal government in targeting legal firearms users at the time.
The Northern Territory government acknowledged that the thousands of Territorians who legitimately own firearms as antique collectors, hunters, sports shooters and for work, do not form part of firearms law focus, according to NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro.
“The Northern Territory has a very different context to the larger states and will not blindly follow approaches designed for other jurisdictions. Instead, we will contribute meaningfully and make decisions on what is best for the territory,” she said.
“We are particularly interested in better powers for police and the flow of information from federal intelligence agencies to support territory police to take guns off threats and their families, and to stop people who may be a threat from getting a licence in the first place.”
The Queensland government also put more thought into their legislation, announcing penalties for stealing firearms and ammunition, 3D-printed weapons, and new offences to crack down on drive-by shootings instead of restrictions on imports and industry.
That legislation included increased penalties for trafficking firearms or ammunition, police powers to disrupt illegal firearm trafficking, new offence prohibiting the possession and distribution of blueprints for 3D-printed firearms, new offence prohibiting the reckless discharge of a weapon towards a building or vehicle to crackdown on the rise in drive-by shootings, including those targeting places of worship.
Queensland Minister for Police and Emergency Services Dan Purdie said the reforms would deliver nation-leading penalties for the misuse of firearms, while equipping police with modern tools to combat organised crime and extremism.
“This bill is about making Queensland safer by ensuring criminals and terrorists with guns face the toughest consequences possible,” Minister Purdie said.
“We are giving police stronger powers to stop illegal firearms from entering our communities and strengthening the laws that determine who is fit and proper to hold a weapons licence.
“These reforms also target the alarming rise in drive-by shootings, including those targeting places of worship, and crackdown on emerging threats like 3D-printed firearms.
“These laws are squarely aimed at terrorists, criminals and organised crime syndicates, not law-abiding Queenslanders, as we continue to make Queensland safer.”
Final thoughts
Snap policy decisions, like the new firearms legislation in NSW and national settings, will have long-term consequences for industry and lawful firearms owners. Australia has already seen political leaders booed at a commemoration for the Bondi Beach shooting. We now know that the policies that followed were poorly thought out and made in a direct attempt to secure public political support after a national tragedy, not as meaningful change.
Dr Levi West, an Australian National University Research Fellow (radicalisation, extremism, terrorism) and former director of terrorism studies at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, provides some analysis on this aspect.
“I don’t think that (new firearms legislation) addresses the big upstream questions of why did a guy (Sajid) who’s been here since the late 90s and had seemingly a reasonably successful existence; kids and a house and all of these things where his life hasn’t fallen completely down the drain, go from having guns because he was a member of a gun club (to doing this),” he said about the Bondi Beach terrorism attack.
“(If) you can remove the guns from the equation. There’s still two dudes who want to kill (a lot of people) … at a Hanukkah festival.
“Unless we’re dealing with that … getting our heads around, how and why these two individuals wanted to do this thing, then removing the firearms means that we have a vehicle-ramming incident at Bondi.
“Unless you ask the second order questions of like, they did this thing here with guns and that was the means, but why did they wind up wanting to do this in the first place? That, to me, is the much more complicated question.”
